Speech creates praise, skepticism

President Bush delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, creating praise and skepticism around campus.\nJeffrey Hart, IU professor of international politics, said he believed Bush's speech clearly pointed toward a possible war in Iraq.\n"The domestic policy basically lay the groundwork for an attack on Iraq," he said.\nHart said Bush's comments concerning economic issues were a "reaffirmation of his faith in the supply side of economics, which studies over the years have proved wrong." \nHe said the only new economic plan was the acceleration of an income tax reduction bill to 2003.\nWhile his proposals were lauded by some, there was skepticism regarding their implementation. \nFreshman Margeaux Lawson-Lloyd, majoring in criminal justice, said she doesn't think Bush will be able to follow through on every proposal.\n"He made so many promises: economic packages, spending control and cut in government spending," she said.\nBush then moved on to tackle the issue of health care by proposing medical liability reform. He mentioned the Clear Sky plan and a host of proposals as part of a comprehensive plan for energy efficiency. \nFreshman Lindsay Wolter, a political science major, said she was unconvinced about the implementation of the energy plans. \n"His ideas for reducing pollution from industrial sources was interesting, but you wonder why he did not include automobiles in this plan," she said. "I wanted to see more concrete evidence of his plans. I thought he had interesting ideas, but you don't see how they will be implemented especially after the tax cuts." \nBush briefly discussed social issues and national security measures against bioterrorism before moving on to the issue of international terrorism and Iraq. \nHart said he thought Bush followed the traditional American policy of positioning the country as a moral force. \n"He appealed to both Iraqis and Americans to topple Saddam and he did indeed generate a favorable response on both sides of the aisle," he said. \nHowever, there was discontent regarding the lack of specificity and concrete evidence regarding the possible war in Iraq. \nEdward Carmines, IU professor of American politics, said he thought Bush did not give any specific direction for Iraq. \n"He mentioned the new proposal of the (U.N.) Security Council meeting on February 5, but he did not explore it in depth," Carmines said. "We really don't know what the Bush administration is up to." \nNicole Green, a junior majoring in English theater, said there was a lack of specificity in Bush's plans. \n"He made a lot of good points, but there was nothing concrete," Green said.